Boris the pirate is as mean, greedy and scary as they come. But when his parrot dies, he mourns like anyone else. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

PreS-Gr 2-Tough Boris is a treasure. This easy-to-read picture book features a repetitive, engaging text; a very popular subject; and an interesting subplot played out in the colorful illustrations. Boris von der Borch is a scruffy and fearless pirate who is nonetheless tender enough to cry when his pet parrot dies. While the brief text simply lists his attributes (and those of all other pirates), the energetic watercolors paint the larger picture. Boris and his crew dig up some buried loot and divide it (unevenly, of course), squabble over a prized violin, and enjoy the cabin boy's impromptu concert (after he's been caught stealing the instrument from Boris). As the story ends, the boy is taken ashore, mourning his exile from the ship but still clutching the precious violin. A compelling and entertaining tale of adventure.-Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In Brown's swashbuckling watercolors, Boris is tough indeed- -hirsute, craggy, grim--but then, ``All pirates are tough.'' As Fox's text succinctly points out, he's also ``massive,'' ``scruffy,'' ``greedy,'' and ``fearless,'' all qualities demonstrated in the illustrations as he seizes a violin from one of his crew, threatens the whole ugly lot after it's been purloined (readers will know that the stowaway boy, who earlier watched while the pirates buried their treasure, is the real culprit). The ``scary'' pirates catch the boy but soften when they hear him play; and when Boris's parrot dies, the boy helps him put it in the violin case for burial at sea and Boris cries and cries--``All pirates cry.'' These pirates also let the boy keep the violin when they row him home. Kids are sure to enjoy puzzling out the real story from the pictures, to which, in the end, the text's childlike stereotyping makes an amusing contrast. (Picture book. 4-8)

Boris the pirate is tough, all right -- a fierce fighter, unkempt, scary, and mercenary. All the more important that, when his beloved parrot dies, Boris cries and cries. As the cabin boy reports, ''All pirates cry. / And so do I.'' The text is deceptively simple, but the observant child will quickly fill in the details, aptly provided in the illustrations. The reassuring message, although understated, is clear and effective. From HORN BOOK 1994, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Ages 4-8. This picture book is full of surprises, both in the simple text and in the dramatic underlying story the pictures tell. On one level, it's a celebration of a glorious villain; like all pirates, tough Boris is massive and scruffy and greedy and fearless and scary. Brown's bold watercolor paintings show him in all his hideous glory, huge bristles sticking out of his chin, anger in his eyes, cutlass in his hand, as he handles his motley crew. But when his parrot dies, "he cried and cried. All pirates cry." As you go back over the pictures, you notice that his cheeky green parrot has always been with Boris, usually on his shoulder or perched on a finger. You also notice another whole story, not mentioned in the text. A small barefoot boy with a violin case stows away on the pirate ship. Tough Boris makes the boy play his instrument, and all the fierce crew members stand still and listen. When Boris' parrot dies, the boy and the pirate grieve together, their shoulders bowed. The boy also cries at the end when the pirate ship brings him back home and leaves him with his violin and bow alone on the shore. Unfortunately, the design is confusing; the boy appears on the imprint page but then remains hidden until the middle of the book; some kids may be puzzled about where he comes from. However, for those who look carefully, the wordless story is a poignant counterpoint to the swashbuckling adventure scenes. ~--Hazel Rochman